Japan’s cherry blossom season: best dates to catch sakura festival – and why Hongkongers are flocking there
- If you want to experience cherry blossoms in full bloom without spending a fortune, head to Japan’s Kyushu island, or to South Korea instead, says Skyscanner
- One third of Hongkongers planning to use their annual leave on a trip in March will flock to Japan for the spring bloom
Hongkongers have some of the lowest annual leave entitlements in the world, yet they still struggle to find the time to enjoy it.
A large number of people have leftover days to use before the end of the financial year in March, according to research by travel search engine Skyscanner. It found that most people in Hong Kong like to spend their leftover leave with a spring trip to Japan; perfect timing to catch the stunning cherry blossom season.
In late March and early April, Japan’s fleeting sakura season attracts a flood of tourists to Kyoto and Tokyo. But the spectacle can also be viewed across the country.
Skyscanner’s survey says that the lowest airfares between Hong Kong and Japan are actually to Nagasaki and Kagoshima in Kyushu, the most southerly of Japan’s four main islands. It also found that bargain airfares can be found for South Korea, a lesser-known but equally picturesque destination for the spring blooms.
The Skyscanner survey of 1,000 Hongkongers found that 70 per cent were allowed to carry over unused annual leave from 2018 to this year, but around 22 per cent of them will have to spend all of those days before March 31.